News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-28
CANOE BUILDING IN MAINE.
How Graceful Birches are Made
Canvas as a Substitute for Bark.

A letter from Bangor, Me-, says: The
canoe has become so popular a craft
! among sportsmen and tourists, even in
| dlspensable to the former class, that the
building of this light and graceful boat
has grown to be quite an industry in
Maine, especially on the Penobscot
river. Time was when the big birch
| trees We're to be found close to the water
| all along the Penobscot, and clear,
straight cedar was near at hand and
plentiful, so that the materials for q
canoe We're easily obtained. Nowadays
the birches are from 90 to 100 miles dis
tant from the upriver towns, back in the
dense forests, and two suitable trees are
seldom found within sight of each other,
while the cedar is also more remote and
scarce. All bark for canoes comes from
the white birch trees outer thickness.
In winter its inner side has O reddish
brown coat, but in summer it is smooth
and yellow. The winter-peeled bark is
preferable for canoes because it is
tougher, and because, also, of the op-
portunity for ornamentation of the craft
afforded by its brown coat, on which va
rious designs, such as deers' heads,
arrows, etc, may be easily traced.
The canoe builder fells white birch
which is at least one foot in diameter at
a distance of eighteen feet from the
base, allowing it to fall across some small
logs to keep it from the ground, and
then strips off its outer coat. The bark
must be warmed-toasted, as it were
before it can be Strengthened out and
rolled up in the proper shape for trans
fn1~tatinn Iha hoI,lT o111 ,aaIo,.
ried out of the woods in boats or canoes
when the streams are open, otherwise on
"toat sled" When the builder is
ready for work he drives stakes into the
ground, and thus forms frame the
shape of his canoe. Then the bark,
after more toasting, is slnoothed out and
fitted to the frame, after which the gun
wales, strips of clear, stripped cedar, are
put in place, and the top edges of the
bark secured to them by means of cop
per nails. Next the whole inside of the
birch is lined with lengthwige strips of
thin-shaved cedar, after which about 90
cedar timbers are "sprung" into place
over them, the timber heads being Sc
cured under the gllnwales. All cuts
made in the bark in bringing it into the
required shape and forming the ends of
the canoe are sewn up with cane threads
and gImmed over with paste composed
of resin and oil Ash thwarts, very mar
row, are put in, strips of canvas glued
over the ends of the canoe where the
two sides of tho bark sheet meet, and
the graceful craft is done. Paddles are
shaved from poplar, maple and ash. If
the canoe is meant for deep water, where
there is likely to be e sea, she is built
rather deep; if for shoal water, such as
trout fishers require, she is made very
fiat. A good canoe will hold four men
and carry them safely, if properly han
died.
About ten years ago canvas began to
be used in place Of bark as material
for canoes, and q great many of this de
scription are now madei ia Bangor. They
are covered with a thick coat of paint to
make them watertight, and are lighter,
fully as cheap, but not so symmetrical
as birch. The duck for an ordinary
eighteen-foot canoe costs Sc, and gener-
ally 2CCIJIiEI,si seam, being too marrow
for single breadth covering. The only
tools required by either white man or
Indian in making canoes are a knife
with curved blade, an awl, drawshave,
and hammer. The Indian often has
only the knife. The red man is not so
neat builder as some whites, but ne is
the best of all navigators of the birch.
Canoes of both kinds and all shapes and
sizes are the rage at the summer resorts,
being popular among the dudes, be-
cause it requires very little strength to
propel them at rapid rate. They are
also pretty to look at, and are safe
enough in careful or experienced hands
Canvas will never entirely supersede
birch for canoes, for the later bends very
gracefully, and is a more romantic ma
terial than duck.